The Last Rose
by SiriusObsession
Summary: It's Valentine's Day. The day filled with hearts and flowers and chocolate and people professing their love to one another. It should be all great and happy and beautiful, right? Not for me. Personally, I hate Valentine's Day. LE/JP


**A/N: Alright, this idea came to me out of nowhere one day, and I had to write it. The beginning is a bit rough, but the ending is possibly some of the best writing I've done. I hope you like it!**

**Disclamer: I own nothing you recognize from Harry Potter. I only own the situations in this story and the character by the name of Grace.**

6th year

Lily's POV

It's Valentine's Day. The day filled with hearts and flowers and chocolate and people professing their love to one another. It should be all great and happy and beautiful, right?

Not for me. Personally, I _hate _Valentine's Day.

For the first ten years of my life, I didn't feel this way. I loved Valentine's Day. I loved seeing couples in love and all the pink and red hearts everywhere. I made Valentine's cards for everyone on my street, I gave my parents and sister homemade presents, and I helped my mother make all sorts of treats covered in hearts.

My Hogwarts Valentine's Days have managed to change that.

In first year at breakfast, James Potter stood on the Gryffindor table, (completely ignoring McGonagall as she practically screamed at him to sit down) and sang the song "I Want You to Want Me" by Cheap Trick, dedicating it to me. The entire school was laughing, and anyone who didn't know us personally assumed we were dating, so no boy came my way that day.

In second year, James managed to get Peeves to follow me around all day, reciting an awful poem James had written for me over, and over, and over, and over. Peeves eventually got bored, and decided to start stealing other people's Valentine presents to throw at me. No one came near me, either mad that their presents had been stolen because of me, or because they were afraid of getting hit by something Peeves threw.

It seemed the stunts got worse and worse each year, and I noticed that James was not only trying to impress me, but keep all other boys away from me.

So today, I was on my toes. I constantly watched my back, waiting for disaster to strike. When nothing had happened by dinner, I was a bit worried. Why had nothing happened? What was James planning?

Then it hit me that James might not try anything this time. He had definitely become a much better person this year, no longer so much the arrogant toe-rag he used to be. I felt a sinking in my chest when I came to this realization. No, James would not go for a big surprise this year. I sighed.

Wait. Why am I so upset about this? This is what I've always wanted! I've always wanted James to finally leave me alone and stop trying.

So why am I so sad that he isn't doing anything?

"Lily!" I heard a familiar voice say.

I snapped out of my trance, shaking my head. I turned to my best friend, Alice, trying to distract myself from what I had just been thinking about.

"I'm sorry Alice, what were you saying?" I said.

"I said, 'What has James done this year?'" she replied, looking at me anxiously. She had seen me blow up these past years because of James's Valentine's surprises, I'm sure she's worried about my quietness.

"Nothing actually," I said.

Alice's jaw dropped.

"You're kidding! He's always done something!"

"Yeah," I said, barely focused on our conversation, "I'm a bit worried. If he hasn't done something yet, I'm afraid it means he'll do something absolutely huge later…"

I said it, but I didn't believe it. I know James better than that. He doesn't give up so easily. Alice didn't look convinced either.

I glanced down the Gryffindor table to where the Marauders usually sat. James was missing. I was really worried now. Alice noticed it too.

I looked up and down the table and noticed my other best friend, Grace, was missing as well.

"Where's Grace?" I asked.

"I'd bet wherever you find her, you'll find James. You know how much she likes to help James impress you." Alice answered.

Just as she said that, James entered the Great Hall. He looked around for a bit, spotted me, and then nodded, smiling to himself. I panicked and stood up.

"Where are you going?" Alice asked.

"The dormitory," I whispered, bending down, "I'm worried he's going to try something. At least up there I'm safe from him."

With that, I ran out of the Great Hall.

I was out of breath by the time I reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. She gave me a confused look, and then hesitantly asked for the password.

"Amour," I said.

I scrambled through the portrait hole and quickly made my way up to the girls' dormitory. When I reached the door to the 6th year dorms, I calmed myself. I was perfectly safe now.

I entered, finding Grace lying on her bed, reading a book. She lifted her head at the sound of my entrance, but quickly focused back on her book when she saw me. Something was up.

I went and flopped down on my bed, closing my eyes for a moment. It had been a long day. I opened my eyes and noticed something on my bedside table. I sat up and turned to see what it was.

There was a piece of pink cloth with red hearts all over it, draped over something on the table. Letting my curiosity get the better of me, I stood and went to touch it. As soon as the silky fabric touched my skin, it vanished into thin air. Sitting on the table now was a vase with nine roses in it. There were four red ones, four white ones, and a black one in the very middle. Next to the vase I noticed a small, handwritten card.

_Lily,_

_I will love you until the last rose dies._

_Happy Valentine's Day,_

_James_

I was suddenly a bit angry. Either that boy really was as stupid as I always thought, or this was his way of saying he didn't like me anymore.

I'd put my money on Option 1 though.

I noticed Grace watching me look at the roses. That's how they'd gotten up here. James had given them to Grace to bring up.

I sat the card down and started digging into my trunk, looking for pajamas to change into. Grace smiled to herself, thinking I was happy with the roses, and went back to her book.

I went to the bathroom to change, thinking while I did so. I decided I would keep the roses, just to prove a point to that idiot of a boy. The flowers would die, and his little attempt at being romantic would go down in flames.

Months went by, and all of the red and white roses died. I took them out of the vase as they did, waiting for the black one to die so I could rub it in James's face.

But it didn't die.

The summer holidays came, and I took the rose home, and it still did not die.

When I came back to school, James and I were told that as Head Boy and Head Girl, we would have our own private common room and dorm. I brought the rose with me, keeping it on my new bedside table, and it still did not die.

One day, I finally couldn't stand it anymore. Why wasn't it dying like all the others? I brought the vase and note into the common room James and I shared. He was sat on the couch doing homework, and did not notice when I walked in. I sat in a chair across the room and pulled the rose out of the vase, and I immediately understood.

The rose had fabric petals and a plastic stem. I looked down at the note again.

_I will love you until the last rose dies._

I felt a tear slip down my face. I glanced over at James, who appeared to be finishing up his work. I realized then what everyone else saw in him. He was beautiful. And I had overlooked that. He was a kind a caring person. And I had overlooked that. All I had seen was the arrogance, which really was minimal compared to all the great qualities he had. I had just been too focused on hating him to realize what he had become. He was amazing.

I couldn't help myself then. I didn't hold back. I let the tears come as hard as they wanted, clinging to the rose and the note for dear life. Before I knew it, James was at my side.

"Lily, what's wrong?" he asked, his hazel eye filled genuine concern and worry. He looked down at what I had in my hand and took a deep breath. He lifted my chin up so that I looked him in the eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I ignored his question, and blurted the question I desperately needed the answer to.

"You meant it didn't you?"

He nodded.

"Always have. Always will."

He pushed some hair out of my face, leaving his hand on the back of my neck. He used his free hand to slip the note and the rose out of my hands and set them on an empty table, breaking my intent stare into his eyes.

When he turned back to me, I surprised him by leaning forward quickly. Our lips met, and I wanted to stay that way forever.

It felt like years, but it must have been only a couple of minutes later when James decided to be a gentleman and pull away.

He just stared at me for a moment, and I was getting a bit confused. And restless…

"You okay, James?" I asked.

He nodded.

"Just had to look at those beautiful emeralds…"

I blushed, grinning like an idiot, before pressing my lips to his once more. In that instant, I knew that I loved him.

Always have. Always will.

**A/N: What do you think? Do you like it? Do you hate it? You can let me know just by clicking that little review button…Pretty please?**


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